Next week, Kevin Durant will begin his 19th NBA regular season and his first with the Houston Rockets. Now 37 years old, the future Hall of Famer earned All-Star honors earlier this year for the 15th time in his storied career, and he continues to play at an elite level after nearly two decades in the league.
Part of that consistent success results from Durant holding himself to a high standard.
At Saturday’s team practice, three days before Houston’s regular-season opener at Oklahoma City, Durant addressed his personal goals (video via Michael Shapiro, Chron.com):
I’ve got a standard that I hold myself to, since I’ve been playing basketball. I know what I bring to the table, and I know what I’ve been consistently doing for the past decade and a half. It’s just about being a great teammate every day, being coachable, making shots, and guarding my man, as simple as that is. I try to be at that level every night.
Durant was then asked if he had any specific statistical numbers that he would like to achieve.
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“I want to make all my shots,” Durant said with a smile. “Really, the bar for me is being perfect, shooting 100 percent from the field. I just try to be efficient with all of my shots.”
Over five seasons this decade, Durant is averaging 27.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 53.1% overall, 41.5% on 3-pointers, and 88.0% on free throws. It’s not perfection, but it’s incredible and historic efficiency for a perimeter-based scorer, and particularly for a veteran who is this deep into his career.
The hope for Durant and the Rockets is for that spectacular run to continue in 2025-26.
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